Dosing Salt for Algae Removal

[jossswonk]

Hello! I'm having some trouble getting rid of some stubborn algae in a few artificial tanks. They way my job is setup tank are cleaned every 2-3 weeks and in some of them once the algae starts it's impossible to get rid of. Since salt isn't good for plants, do you think that adding a small dose of aquarium salt would help stop or slow the growth? The tanks are spread out across the county so daily water changes are out of the question, and I'm not comfortable adding chemicals to reduce algae growth. Let me know if this crazy idea of mine seems doable or if it sounds like a bad idea.

 

[Archerfish]

I would not use salt to get rid of algae. Especially if you have live plants in the tank. I guess I don't really understand your situation. Artificial tanks? Are these some sort of decoration tanks with no fish, say like in a doctor's office or something like that? All over the county?

 

[jossswonk]

The tanks we have contain artificial decorations like fake plants. The tanks have fish but don't contain any live plants.

 

[GaryE]

I haven't heard any feedback on the idea of using salt against algae.What fish are involved?

 

[Zer0Fame]

Hey,

why not just dump a metric ton of floaters and hornwort in there?
If it becomes too much, it takes about 10 seconds to take a few handfuls out.

 

[jossswonk]

Perch, crappie, sunfish and channel catfish. I figured a small enough dose of salt will be safe for the fish and maybe help with the algae. I can pass along the floating plant idea to my boss but I don't think there are many native species that would work. The main issue with the algae is that it sticks to the plastic plants. I'm trying to convince everyone to go all natural and leave the plastic decor behind but it's a slow process when there's nearly 100 tanks. So for now we have artificial decor. I have also thought about maybe washing the plastic plants in a hydrogen peroxide solution to kill the algae on them. If anyone has other suggestions we are open to trying anything.

 

[Gertrudae]

If water and nutrients are available, something will try to grow. That is called life.

If there are no higher plants, algae will take over; they are the natural inhabitants of aquatic habitats anyway. Higher salt content? There will be algae that can cope with it. Higher plants cannot. Only algae are found in salt water.

 

[GaryE]

Perch, crappie, sunfish and channel catfish.

Those are some heavy eaters and skilled waste producers. They'd be hard with tanks scattered around. You have to dip the plastic plants regularly and wash them off, but the rocks, glass etc are going to get crusty. They aren't the best fish for live plants, and @Gertrudae is right about nature filling the gaps. If you can inconvenience one algae with salt, a salt loving algae species will replace it.

I used to have some Canadian native fishtanks, and they ripped up plants. I had to work with heavy filtration, controlled lighting and controlled feeding to keep the algae under control. Big bare tanks are hard to manage. I wish I could suggest an alternative to constant maintenance, but big predatory fish are messy, and messes feed algae.

 

[gimme30]

With those inhabitants snails are out of the question. How about turning the lights off?

 

[Magnum Man]

algae still grows in the ocean, salt may kill your immediate problem, but, as @Gertrudae ... mentions if the nutrients are there, in sufficient quantities, something you like less, may take it's place... are you doing weekly water changes??? if so, at what percentage... reducing the nutrients may help a lot, so maybe increased frequency, or percentage, of water change will help???

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Only algae are found in salt water.

Sea Grass, Mangroves..

 

[Magnum Man]

on my old salt water tanks ( 30 years ago ), the reef tanks struggled with brown algae...

 

[jossswonk]

Thank you for all the helpful tips, we are able to keep the rocks and the glass pretty clean with scrub brushes, but it's just the plastic plants that get coated with algae. It's nearly impossible to get it all off. Do you think a hydrogen peroxide dip for the plastic plants followed by a rinse under tap water would help and be safe for the fish? I can also recommend my boss to increase the percentage of water we take out and make an announcement to the team. The aquariums are in classrooms to teach students about lakes and streams so the lights are on from 9-3 for their viewing pleasure.

 

[Gertrudae]

The aquariums are in classrooms to teach students about lakes and streams

What are they actually learning? Algae are most commonly found in lakes and rivers, higher plants are rather rare, and I would consider any plastic to be pollution.

 

[jossswonk]

I'm actually not involved with the education portion of the program. My job is to make sure that the fish and aquariums stay healthy and looking good. Plastic is most definitely pollution and I personally dislike plastic plants, but that's what the program uses in the tanks. Hower, we are starting to make and send out many more tanks with live plants and different fish, and those are doing a better job a fighting algae.